Orienting assembly for secondary packages

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides an orienting assembly for orienting one or more beverage containers stored within a secondary package. The orienting assembly includes a base portion having a plurality of container regions and remaining non-container regions. The orienting assembly further a layer of a predetermined material, at least partially, coated onto one or more of the plurality of the container regions such that a coefficient of friction at the coated container region is higher compared to that of non-container regions.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to secondary packages forbeverage containers; and more particularly relates to an orientingassembly for maintaining an orientation of beverage containers containedwithin secondary packages.

BACKGROUND

Containers enclosing liquid foods such as for example, water, beer,beverages, etc. have lately been proved invaluable in a wide array ofsituations. For example, water containers have widely been used acrossthe globe by the people during travel. Also, campers, hikers andbackpackers use portable beverage containers for excursions in remoteareas. These containers range from small sized portable containers tolarge size barrel shaped containers, depending upon the quantity of thebeverage enclosed therein.

In the recent years, there has been a many-fold increase in the trend ofgrouping large number of items such as food item including liquid foods,home essentials, stationary items, and the like, in the form ofmultipacks, for various purposes such as to enable bulk selling, easytransportation, handling, and the like. For example, single servingcontainers (e.g., cans or bottles) are commonly packaged in groups ofsix or twelve for sale to consumers. Most of these secondary packagecartons are made of paperboard and/or cardboard material.

However, during transportation, including handling and shipping of suchsecondary packages, there has been a growing concern towards theprotection of such multipacks from unwanted damages, movements, andshifting particularly within the package having a smooth surface made ofpaperboard having a relatively smooth surface and therefore causingslippage of the containers stored within. As the coefficient of frictionbetween the surfaces of the cartons and the individual bottles or cans,is generally comparatively low, they tend to move relative to each otherin response to these various accelerations sudden stops, starts or turnsof the vehicle, and may even fall resulting in possible damage to thecontainers and the product retained therein. Further, due to this shock,vibration and movement, the labels of the containers may get disorientedand may cause additional handling problems after the transportation iscomplete.

Accordingly, numerous efforts have been made to overcome this problem ofmovement of the individual containers within the secondary packages. Insome instances, the individual containers were packed by mechanicalmeans such as by synthetic resin films, straps, and other similar means,so as to prevent the movement of the containers there within. However,these mechanical means had several shortcomings as were not only complexbut also were neither cost efficient nor time efficient. Further, theywere more prone to damage the label of containers and therefore are notpreferred.

In some other instances, the containers were temporarily bonded bybonding means such as using glues, adhesive either individually, orotherwise by coating a layer of glue on an entire surface within thecontainer. However, such methods were also not preferred as these wouldadhere to the rims of containers and mar the finishes of the containers.Further, these are only temporary solution and are not usable once thecontainers were taken out of package, and/or after the temporary bondingfades out.

In yet other instances, individual handling means, such as several kindof carton dividers, and/or interlocking means were provided to grip thecontainers. These carton dividers as disclosed in, for example, in U.S.Pat. Nos. 3,942,709; 3,948,435 and 4,094,454 are typically formed ofchipboard and divide the carton into individual cells which separate thecontainers from contact with one another to prevent breakage. However,such individual handling means requires specially constructed cartons aswell as complex handling which add to the expense and time involved inthe shipping operation.

Further, many kind of anti-skid sheets are available such as forexample, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,613,447, 5,881,651, 6,490,982and 8,146,515. These anti-slip sheets, while having varying success,provide an overall comparatively low frictional surface and not adirected high friction at the point of contact between the container andthe carton. Further, it is important to ensure that properties such asfriction, strength, thickness, granularity etc. of these sheets used arecommensurate with both the weight of the carton, and the environmentalconditions (temperature, humidity etc.) likely to be encountered duringthe journey.

Accordingly, while all of the currently known diverse methods have hadvarying success for managing the collapse of the containers within thecarton, these methods have had little success when desired to maintainthe orientation of the containers within the which in turn avoidmisalignment of the container labels as being an important considerationduring handling, and particularly, automated operation by high speedpackaging machinery.

Accordingly, as can be seen from the from the foregoing discussion, noneof the existing solution completely overcomes the problem of maintainingthe orientation of the containers within the carton. Thus, in thecontext of the above an improved orientation assembly is desired, whichbeing cost effective and easy to implement, is recyclable and may beused for as long as desired.

SUMMARY

In an aspect of the invention, an orienting assembly for orienting oneor more beverage containers stored within a secondary package. Theorienting assembly includes a base portion having a plurality ofcontainer regions and remaining non-container regions. The orientingassembly further a layer of a predetermined material, at leastpartially, coated onto one or more of the plurality of the containerregions such that a coefficient of friction at the coated containerregion is higher compared to that of non-container regions.

It is to be understood that the predetermined material is not a bondingmeans (glue, adhesive, cohesive or the like) as friction and adhesionare recognized as two separate principles. The predetermined materialwill not leave a mark on containers placed thereon, as opposed to whenusing bonding means (which typically cause a chemical process thatresults in the retention of the bound object to another). The main goalof the invention is to avoid movement of the containers in the plane ofthe support surface, thus horizontal (and particularly to avoidrotation), while adhesives are aimed at movement perpendicular to thesupport surface (vertical).

Generally, each of the plurality of container regions is a contact pointadapted to be in contact with at-least one of the beverage containers.

Potentially, the plurality of container regions includes a plurality ofspace apart depressions, each shaped and adapted to receive a contactsurface of one the beverage containers.

Further potentially, the contact surface is a bottom surface of thebeverage container.

Alternatively, the contact surface of the beverage container is a topsurface of the beverage container.

Yet further potentially, each of the plurality of spaced apartdepression has a depth ranging between 5 mm and 30 mm and preferablybetween 10 mm and 20 mm.

Generally, the predetermined material used for coating may be selectedfrom one or more of but not limited to polymers having generallyfriction enhancing and/or surface roughening properties.

Further, the predetermined material used for coating may be selectedfrom one or more of but not limited to polymers having rubbercharacteristics such that the coated container region imparts a higherdegree of friction at the point of contact.

Furthermore, the predetermined material used for coating may furtherinclude one or more granular and/or aggregated filler material embeddedtherein.

Optionally, the coated container regions include a predetermined textureand/or pattern adapted to further enhance the friction of coefficientwith the beverage containers.

Possibly, wherein the secondary package may be a carton formed of one ormore material selected from but not limited to foldable blank,paperboard, cardboard, corrugated board, plastic, all kinds of paper,and the like.

Preferably, the beverage container is a can shaped container having abottom surface extended towards a top surface through a body portion.

Alternatively, the beverage container is a bottle shaped containerhaving a bottom surface extended towards a top surface through ashoulder portion.

Yet further possibly, each of the plurality of spaced apart depressionhas a shape and dimension complementary to a bottom surface of thebeverage container so as to facilitate retaining a beverage containerthereupon.

In another aspect of the invention, a secondary package for holding aplurality of beverage containers while maintaining an orientationthereof, is disclosed. The secondary package includes a primarycontainer formed from a housing having a pair of horizontal surfaceincluding a top surface and a bottom surface, connected and extendedtowards each other through a plurality of sidewalls to define an innersurface there between. The primary container further includes one ormore orienting assemblies configured onto at least one of the pair ofhorizontal surfaces such that the orientation of the containerscontained within the primary container is maintained.

Generally, the orienting assembly is configured on at least one of thetop horizontal surface and/or the bottom horizontal surface of theprimary container.

Preferably, the orienting assembly is formed integrally within one ofthe top horizontal surfaces and/or bottom horizontal surface of theprimary container, i.e. the base portion of the orienting assembly is atleast an integral part of the bottom or top horizontal wall of thesecondary packaging.

Alternatively, the orienting assembly is externally adhered to the tophorizontal surface and/or the bottom horizontal surface using one ormore fixation mechanism selected from one or more of but not limited toGluing, stapling, adhering, adhesive patches, and the like.

Possibly, the primary container includes a carton formed of one or morepaper-based material selected from but not limited to foldable blank,paperboard, cardboard, corrugated board, all kinds of paper, and thelike.

Alternatively, the primary container includes a carton made of anon-paper-based material selected from one or more of but not limited toplastics, metal, and the like.

Further possibly, the primary container may be made in the form of anysuitable geometric shape selected from but not limited to a cuboidal,cubical, circular, hexagonal, and the like.

Further possible, each of the plurality of sidewalls of the housing hasa height substantially greater than the height of the beveragecontainers to be stored there within.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sidewalls of the housinghave a height substantially equal to the height of the beveragecontainers to be stored therein. This allows the assemblies to bestacked, and the above positioned layers of assemblies to partially holdthe containers in the assemblies beneath in place. During transport, wenote that, due to vibrations and such (for instance from bumps in thepath, or quirks of the transport), the pressure from such abovepositioned assemblies can be temporarily removed/relieved, making thecoating of the predetermined material crucial in holding onto thecontainer and not allowing rotation thereof (or other movements). In afurther preferred embodiment an assembly is provided both on the top andthe bottom horizontal surfaces.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a method of manufacturing anorienting assembly is disclosed. The method includes receiving a basesurface formed of a paper-based material. The method further includesdefining and/or forming a plurality of container regions onto the basesurface. The method furthermore includes coating a layer ofpredetermined material, at least partially, onto the one or more of theplurality of the container regions such that the coated containerregions have a coefficient of friction higher than that of thenon-container regions.

Potentially, the base portion is a horizontal surface of a primarycontainer of a secondary package.

Further preferably, the step of coating may be preferably performed byspray coating.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturing asecondary package for holding a plurality of beverage containers whilemaintaining their orientation, is disclosed. The method includesreceiving a primary container having a plurality of beverage containerregions configured onto a pair of horizontal surface thereof. The methodfurther includes applying a coating of a predetermined material withinthe primary container at one or more of the plurality of the beveragecontainer region such that the co-efficient of friction at the coatedbeverage container regions is high compared to that of the non-beveragecontainer region.

Preferably, the primary container is a carton formed of a paper-basedmaterial selected from one or more of but not limited to all kind ofpapers, paperboard, corrugated board, foldable blank, and the like.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other aspects, featuresand advantages of the subject matter disclosed herein will be apparentfrom the description, the drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram representing an orientingassembly for beverage containers, in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram representing a secondary packagehaving one or more orienting assemblies, in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram representing a secondary packagehaving one or more orienting assemblies, in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart illustrating the steps for manufacturing anorienting assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 5 depicts flowchart illustrating the steps for assembling asecondary package having one or more orienting assemblies, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As required, a schematic, exemplary-only embodiment of the presentapplication is disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood thatthe disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of the present disclosure,which may be embodied in various and/or alternative forms. Specificstructural and functional details disclosed herein are not to beinterpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as arepresentative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the present disclosure in virtually any appropriately detailedstructure.

Aspects, advantages and/or other features of the exemplary embodiment ofthe disclosure will become apparent in view of the following detaileddescription, which discloses various non-limiting embodiments of theinvention. In describing exemplary embodiments, specific terminology isemployed for the sake of clarity. However, the embodiments are notintended to be limited to this specific terminology. It is to beunderstood that each specific portion includes all technical equivalentsthat operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

Exemplary embodiments may be adapted for many different purposes and arenot intended to be limited to the specific exemplary purposes set forthherein. Those skilled in the art would be able to adapt theexemplary-only embodiment of the present disclosure, depending forexample, on the intended use of adapted embodiment. Moreover, examplesand limitations related therewith brought herein below are intended tobe illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related artwill become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of thefollowing specification and a study of the related figures.

The present application discloses an orienting assembly formed of apaper-based material, for use with secondary packages holding aplurality of beverage containers enclosing liquids such as cold drinks,beer, wines, mineral water etc. The orienting assembly is able to orientthe beverage containers stored there within the secondary package. Whilethe beverage containers suited for the current disclosure is a generallycan or bottle shaped container having a bottom surface extended towardsa top surface through a body portion, it should be understood that theembodiments of the present invention may be applied in combination withvarious type of containers irrespective of size, shape and materials,used in the beverage industry.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram displaying basic components ofthe orienting assembly of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG.1, the present disclosure provides an orienting assembly 100 formaintaining an orientation of one or more of a plurality of beveragecontainers 190 in contact therewith. The beverage container 190 is agenerally can or bottle shaped container having a bottom portion 192extended towards a top portion 194 through a body portion 196. Theorienting assembly 100 includes a base portion 110. The base portion 110includes a plurality of container regions 112 and non-container regions114. Each of the plurality of container regions 112 are adapted to be incontact with at-least one of the beverage containers 190 either at thetop portion 194 or at the bottom portion 192. Further, the base portion110 includes a layer of a predetermined material, at least partially,coated onto one or more of the plurality of the container regions 112such that a coefficient of friction F_(C) at the coated containerregions 112 is higher compared a second coefficient of friction F_(N) atthe non-container regions 114.

The orienting assembly 100 of the current disclosure may be configuredto be installed within a secondary package holding a plurality ofcontainers, either as a multipack or as a group of different containerspacked together, or may be formed integrally with the secondarypackaging.

In description of the FIG. 2-3 that follow, elements common to theschematic system will have the same number designation unless otherwisenoted. In a first embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2, an exemplarysecondary package 280 employing an orienting assembly 200, for holding aplurality of beverage containers 290 while maintaining their orientationthere within, is provided. In a preferred embodiment, secondary package280 includes a primary container 281 having a plurality of sidewalls 282extending between a pair of horizontal surfaces 286, including a topsurface 283, and a bottom surface 284, defining an inner surface 285there within.

As disclosed earlier, the orienting assembly 200 a base portion 210. Thebase portion 210 includes a plurality of container regions 212 andnon-container regions 214. Each of the plurality of container regions212 are adapted to be in contact with a beverage container 290. Further,the base portion 210 includes a layer 216 of a predetermined material,at least partially, coated onto one or more of the plurality of thecontainer regions 212 such that a coefficient of friction F_(C) at thecoated container regions 212 is higher compared a second coefficient offriction F_(N) at the non-container regions 214.

In a preferred embodiment, the number of container regions 212 is sameas the number of beverage containers stored within the secondary package280. Further, the shape and position of the contact-regions iscomplementary to a contact surface 295 of the beverage container 290,such that each of the beverage containers 290 is in contact with one ofthe corresponding container regions 212 at its contact surface 295.

Further, in some embodiments, the plurality of container regions 212include a plurality of spaced apart depressions 215, each adapted to becoated with the predetermined material, and defining a contact point forcontact with the plurality of beverage containers 290 in a spaced apartmanner. Further, each of the plurality of the spaced apart depressions215 has a depth ranging between 5 mm and 30 mm and preferably between 10mm and 20 mm.

Accordingly, the depressions 215 are shaped according to a shape of thecontact surface 295 of the beverage container 190. Further in suchinstances, the spaced apart depressions 215 are coated with a layer ofthickness T generally same as the size of depressions such that whencoated, each of the container regions is in aa plane same as of thenon-container region. However, in some other instances, the spaced apartdepressions 215 are coated with a layer of thickness T generally lesserthan the size of depressions such that when coated, each of thecontainer regions 212, while being frictional, provides a retainingstructure at the contact point.

The base portion 210 may be formed of a single layerstructure/multilayer structure, formed of a paper-based materialselected from one or more of but not limited to a folded blank, all kindof papers, fiberboard, corrugated board, and the like. Further, the baseportion 210, in any above-mentioned configuration has a dimension in ahorizontal plane substantially same as an inner dimension of the primary281 in the horizontal plane.

However, in other embodiments, the base portion 210 may be a multilayerstructure such as a carton, housing and the like. In such embodiments,in one instance, the base portion 210 includes a top layer 231 and abottom layer 232 generally connected and extended away from the toplayer 231. Preferably, the bottom layer 232 is spaced apart from the 231and includes a plurality of holes 235 configured thereon and adapted toreceive support from the underlying beverage containers. The number ofplurality of holes 235 is generally equal to the number of beveragecontainers adapted to be stored within the housing 281. Further, thisplurality of spaced apart holes 235 are arranged such that when the baseportion is positioned within the inner space 295, each of the beveragecontainers is adapted to support the base portion through a hole of theplurality of holes 325. Such an embodiment is particularly suitable whenthe beverage container is a generally bottle shaped container.

Looping back to FIG. 2, the orienting assembly 200 is generallypositioned within the inner surface 285 onto at least one surface of thepair of horizontal surfaces 286. In some embodiments, the secondarypackage 280 includes only one orienting assembly 200. In suchembodiments, and in preferred instances, the orienting assembly 200 ispositioned onto the bottom surface 284 such that a bottom surface 292 ofeach of the plurality of the beverage container 290 acts as the contactsurface 295 and is in contact with one of the coated container regions212. However, in other instances, the orienting assembly 200 ispositioned onto the top surface 283 such that a top portion 294 acts asthe contact surface 295 and is in contact with one of the coatedcontainer regions 212.

In a modification of the first embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 3, thesecondary package 280 includes more than one orienting assembly 200positioned within the primary container 281. In such an embodiment, theprimary container 281 includes generally two orienting assemblies 200,one positioned onto the top surface 283 and the other positioned ontothe bottom portion 292. Such an embodiment while increases the costsomewhat provides frictional support from both ends and thereforefurther negates the possibility of disorientation of the beveragecontainers 290 stored there within, even under high impact shocks,vibrations, and the like during the handling and transportation thereof.

FIGS. 2 and 3 schematically show the arrangement of the basic componentsof the secondary package 280 of the present disclosure. However, in theconstruction of commercial functional units, secondary components suchas couplers, connectors, support structure and other functionalcomponents known to one of skill in the field of secondary packages andmore particularly the secondary package for beverage containertechnology, may be incorporated within the secondary package 280. Suchcommercial arrangements are included in the present invention as long asthe structural components and arrangements disclosed herein are present.Accordingly, it is to be contemplated that the secondary package 280 maybe configured to be used for any kind of beverage and/or liquid and/orfood containers and may be incorporated in any possible shape as deemspossible without deviating from the scope of the current invention.

In a preferred embodiment, the primary container generally representedby the numeral 281, is a carton generally formed from a recyclablematerial selected from one or more of but not limited to any desiredmaterial such as including all kind of papers, fiberboard, corrugatedboard, foldable blanks, hybrid material, or any combinations thereof,any known housing formed by any known mechanism and suitable for use inaccordance with the current disclosure without deviating from the scopethereof, may be used. Further, the shape and size, including the heightof the primary container 281 may be varied depending on the designconstraints and requirements for its application. For example, withinthe instances when the 281 is adapted to house twelve containers in onelayer in a 3x4 arrangement the carton is dimension accordingly. Further,in other instances, the carton may be sized and shaped to holdcontainers of a different or same quantity in a single layer, more thantwo layers, and/or in different row/column arrangements (e.g., 1×6, 3×6,2×6, 4×6, 2×3×4, 2×6×2, 2×9, 3×5, 3×5×2, etc.).

In another embodiment, the primary container 281 is integrally moldedand made of a light weight plastic material selected from one or more ofbut not limited to plastic material such as group of thermoplasticsincluding acetal, acrylic, cellulose acetate, polyethylene, polystyrene,vinyl, and nylon. In such instances, the orienting assembly 200 may bebest suitable to configured on the top surface as well as the bottomsurface of the primary container as within such instances due tosmoothness of plastic, friction between the container and the primarycontainer is very low.

In some embodiments, the predetermined material includes one or morepolymer materials having generally rubber kind of characteristics inaddition to high coefficient of friction. Such materials while impartinga high friction at the point of contact 295, also produce highprotuberances there at towards the contact surface of the beveragecontainer 290. Such a protuberance characteristic in addition to thefriction, prevents the beverage containers from slipping relative to thecontainer region at the point of the contact while providing ashock-absorbent characteristic enabling the container to overcome suddenshocks, vibrations, and the like.

In some embodiments, the predetermined coating material further includesone or more granular and/or aggregated filler material embedded therein.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the coating layer of highfriction surface may further be embossed, debossed or otherwiseprocessed in order to alter the final appearance and texture of the highfriction container regions 212. Such a processing including debossingand/or embossing may further increase the coefficient of friction F_(C).

In use, as disclosed earlier, the orienting assembly 200 is adapted tobe positioned within the inner surface 285 such that each of thebeverage containers 292 meets one of the container regions 212 at thecontact point 217. In some embodiments, the orienting assembly 200 isaffixed to one of the top surface and the bottom surface of the primarycontainer 281. In an embodiment, the orienting assembly 200 is fixed tothe one of the pair of horizontal surfaces 286, using one or morefixation mechanisms selected from one or more of but not limited topocket-based fixation mechanism, notch-based fixation mechanism,stapling, gluing, adhesive patches, retention tab, stapling, rivets, andany other suitable mechanical attachment mechanism conventionally knownin the art and suitable for use in current invention without deviatingfrom the scope thereof.

However, particularly in a preferred embodiment where the primarycontainer 281 is formed of a paper-based material, the orientingassembly 200 may be formed integrally within one or more of the pair ofhorizontal surfaces 286 of the secondary container 280, i.e. the baseportion of the orienting assembly is at least an integral part of thebottom or top horizontal wall of the secondary packaging. Such anembodiment further eases the implementation of the current invention asthe orienting assembly is formed within the primary container 281 duringthe manufacturing thereof. Accordingly, a user is not required toexternally adhere the orienting assembly 281 to one or more surface ofthe primary container 281 thereby saving time, cost, as well as unwantedtasks for the user.

FIG. 4 with reference to FIGS. 1 through 3, is a flow diagramillustrating a method 400 of manufacturing the orienting assembly 200 ofthe present disclosure. The method starts at step 402 and proceeds tostep 404 where the base portion 210 formed of a paper-based material isreceived. Thereafter, the method 400 proceeds to step 406 where aplurality of container regions 212 is identified. In some embodiments,the identification of the container regions 212 includes defining aplurality of regions having a size and/or shape corresponding to thecontact surface 295 of the beverage container 290. However, in someother embodiments, where the container region 212 includes a pluralityof spaced apart depressions 215, the container regions 212 is formedwithin the base portion 210 using any suitable mechanism already knownin the art. Thereafter, the method proceeds to step 408 where each ofthe container regions 212 is at least partially coated with a layer ofpredetermined material having a predetermined coefficient of friction Fcsuch that the beverage container 290, once in contact with the containerregion 212, is prevented from any movement and in particulardisorientation thereof.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the step of coating isperformed by spraying the predetermined material onto the identifiedcontainer regions 212. In another embodiment, the coating of layer isperformed by putting a mask having holes corresponding to the containerregions 212 and then spreading the coating material thereupon, therebycoating the container regions 212. In yet another embodiment, the stepof coating may be performed by any suitable mechanism conventionallyknown in the art such as including but not limited to extruding,brushing, or rolling the liquid solution on to the container regions212. In all such embodiments, the coating layer is allowed to dry beforethe orienting assembly 200 is used for its application in varioussituations.

The method 400 further includes additional optional step 410 offormation of various coating patterns and/textures onto the containerregions 212 adapted to further enhance the friction thereof. In anembodiment of the present invention, the step 410 may be performed alongwith the step 408 while performing the step of coating the containerregions 212. Alternatively, the textures/patterns may be formed byapplying one or more varnishes and/or a tactile coating material in apredetermined pattern so as to increase the friction of already coatedcontainer regions 212.

In yet other embodiments, of the present invention, each of the step ofthe method 400 may be performed in any desired order, sequentially,and/or simultaneously.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method 500 of assembling the secondary package 280employing the orienting assembly 200 of the present disclosure. Themethod starts at step 502 and proceeds to step 504 where the carton 281is received and/or formed. The method 500 then proceeds to step 506where one or more orienting assemblies 200 is positioned within theprimary container 281. In an embodiment, the orienting assembly 200 ispositioned within the primary container 281 by adhering to one or moreof the pair of horizontal surfaces 286 using one or more fixationmechanisms selected from but not limited to but not limited topocket-based fixation mechanism, notch-based fixation mechanism,stapling, gluing, adhesive patches, retention tab, stapling, rivets, andany other suitable mechanical fixation mechanism. In another embodiment,the orienting assembly 200 may be formed within the one or more of thepair of horizontal surface using a mechanism similar to as disclosed inthe step 406 of the method 400. Thereafter, at step, 508, a plurality ofbeverage containers 290, are placed within the inner surface 285 of theprimary container 281 such that each of the container 290 contacts thecontainer region 212 at the contact point 295.

In yet other embodiments of the present inventions, each of the step ofthe method 500 may be performed in any desired order, sequentially,and/or simultaneously.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present disclosure relates to an orienting assembly 200 formed of aplurality of container regions, each coated with a predeterminedmaterial having a high coefficient of friction, generally rangingbetween 0.5 and 0.8 and preferably between 0.6 and 0.7, for use inmaintaining an orientation of a plurality of beverage containers 290stored within a secondary package 280. The plurality of beveragecontainers generally includes containers containing liquids, such asbeer, wine, cider, hard liquor (e.g., distilled beverage, spirit,liquor, hard alcohol, etc.), soft drinks (e.g., cola, soda, pop, tonic,seltzer), iced tea, soda water and other types ofcarbonated/non-carbonated beverages. Such a high as well as focusedfriction at the point of contact, imparts a high stability as well asfriction enough to resist any movement/misalignment of the beveragecontainers, with respect to the container. Therefore, any damage to thebeverage containers and labels thereof is avoided. Accordingly, thecontainers made of fragile material such as glass may comfortably becarried using the secondary package of the current disclosure.

Further, the present disclosure provides the possibility ofmanufacturing the secondary packages 280 with integrally formedorienting assemblies on various horizontal surfaces of the primarycontainer 281. Such a secondary package 280 having integrally formedoriented assembly while being cost-efficient and portable, is very quickand easy to be assembled by retail consumers, or by the retailers, andoffers an easy yet comfortable handling of packages of any shape, sizeor any variety of configurations.

While the secondary package 280 is described primarily for holding andorienting beverage containers, it is also contemplated for a personskilled in the art that the secondary package 280 of the currentdisclosure may be implemented in various industries such as foodindustry, transport industry, house hold appliance industry intransportation of any kind of product or group of products, of anyshape, size or any variety of configurations, without limiting it to thebeverage industry.

Moreover, while the orienting assembly 200 of current disclosure hasbeen disclosed in reference to the secondary package 280 of the currentdisclosure. it may also be used as an independent self-sustaining unit.Further it can be integrated with various suitable containers known inthe art including various carton formed from foldable blank as well ascartons constructed of materials such as fabric, woven material,non-woven material, woven metallic fabric that may include ferrous ornonferrous metals, etc., or any other suitable material.

While the orienting assembly 200 is described for holding and orientingbeverage containers having generally can shape, it is also contemplatedfor a person skilled in the art that the secondary package 200 of thecurrent disclosure may be implemented in various industries such as foodindustry, transport industry, house hold appliance industry intransportation of any kind of containers of any shape, size or anyvariety of configurations, without limiting it to the beverage industry.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, methodology in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the claimed subject matter is illustrated. While, forpurposes of simplicity of explanation, the methodology is shown anddescribed as a series of acts, it is to be understood and appreciatedthat the claimed subject matter is not limited by the order of acts, assome acts may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with otheracts from that shown and described herein.

1. An orienting assembly for a secondary packaging holding a pluralityof containers, the assembly comprising: a base portion having aplurality of container regions and remaining non-container regions;wherein one or more of the plurality of container regions is at leastpartially coated with a predetermined material such that a coefficientof friction at the coated container regions is higher compared to theremaining non-container regions, said predetermined material not being abonding means.
 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the containerregions is a contact point adapted to be in contact with a contactsurface of at least one of the beverage containers.
 3. The assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of container regions comprising aplurality of space apart depressions, each shaped and adapted to receivea contact surface of one the beverage containers.
 4. The assembly ofclaim 2, wherein the contact surface is a bottom surface of the beveragecontainer.
 5. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the contact surface is atop surface of the beverage container.
 6. The assembly of claim 1,wherein the one or more coated container regions comprising apredetermined texture and/or pattern adapted to further enhance thefriction of coefficient of the coating material.
 7. The assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the predetermined material includes a coating liquidand/or varnish and/or polymer/or combination of polymers.
 8. Theassembly of claim 1, wherein the predetermined material furthercomprising one or more granular and/or aggregated filler materialembedded therein.
 9. A secondary package for holding beveragecontainers, the packaging comprising: a primary container having a pairof horizontal surface including a top surface extended towards a bottomsurface through a plurality of vertical sidewalls defining an innersurface there between; the primary container comprising: one or moreorienting assemblies according to claim 1 configured onto at least oneof the said pair of horizontal surfaces such that an orientation of thecontainers contained within the primary container is maintained.
 10. Thesecondary package of claim 9, wherein the orienting assembly isconfigured onto top horizontal surface and/or the bottom horizontalsurface of the primary container.
 11. The secondary package of claim 9,wherein the orienting assembly is formed integrally within the tophorizontal surface and/or bottom horizontal surface of the primarycontainer.
 12. The secondary package of claim 9, wherein the orientingassembly is externally adhered to the top horizontal surface and/or thebottom horizontal surface.
 13. The secondary package of claim 9, whereinthe secondary package comprising a carton formed of one or more materialselected from but not limited to foldable blank, paperboard, cardboard,corrugated board, plastic, all kinds of paper, and the like. 14.Container assembly comprising a plurality of containers and a secondarypackaging according to claim 9 for holding said containers, wherein thevertical sidewalls are substantially as high as the containers.
 15. Amethod of manufacturing an orienting assembly, the method comprising thesteps of: receiving a base surface formed of a paper-based material;defining and/or forming a plurality of container regions onto the basesurface; coating a layer of a second predetermined material onto one ormore of the container regions wherein the coated layer formed of thepredetermined material has a friction coefficient higher than that ofthe paper-based material.